Cape Dutch

A Journey of Discovery in the age-old Traditions.

Vergenoegd

Vergenoegd has been owned by the Faure family for six generations. Historic “Vergenoegd”, the Dutch word meaning “satisfaction has been achieved”, was granted land rights in 1696 and the Faures have been on the farm since the 1820’s. The Cape Dutch homestead is a historic monument and dates from 1773.

Meerlust

Long recognized for producing world-class wines, Meerlust Estate has been the pride of the Myburgh family since 1756. Today, the traditional dedication to the art of winemaking continues under the guidance of Hannes Myburgh, eighth generation custodian of this seventeenth-century national monument.

Spier

Spier is one of the oldest wine farms in South Africa, with a recorded history dating back to 1692. While rooted in this heritage, Spier offers a contemporary experience and has a vibrant and conscious culture.

De Morgenzon

DeMorgenzon, 'the morning sun,' was so named because it is the first part of the Stellenboschkloof valley to see the sun because of its high altitude and aspects. It covers the top southern and eastern slopes of Ribbokkop, overlooking the pinnacle of Kanonkop from where a cannon was fired to alert the farms in the region that a ship had put into Table Bay. The first road from Cape Town to Stellenbosch ran through the Stellenbosch Kloof.

Neethlingshof

The Neethlingshof farm was initially called De Wolvendans (The Dance of Wolves) before it was acquired in 1788 by Charles Marais and his eighteen-year old wife, Maria, who immediately began extending the vineyards and building a cellar to make their own wine. When her daughter married Johannes Henoch Neethling in 1828, he became joint owner of the farm and the name was changed to Neethlingshof.

Morgenhof

The French Huguenots arrived in the Cape in the 1680s. Those with winemaking experience came from La Rochelle, the traditional export harbour for the famous brandies of Cognac. More than 300 years later, a very well established Cognac family arrived in the Cape and became the vigorous owners of Morgenhof.

Zorgvliet

One of the farms making up the present day Zorgvliet Wine Estate has been named after a dubious mining project Silver Myn.For the Dutch East India Company, whose interests were mercantile rather than colonial, it was important to exploit whatever resources it had to offer. Simon van der Stel made his famous expedition to Namaqualand in search of copper in 1685. Attempts to find silver met with less success so there was great excitement in 1740 when Frans Diederik Muller claimed to have discovered silver at the Simonsberg.

Lanzerac

In 1692, a considerable tract of land in the Jonkershoek valley of Stellenbosch was granted by Governor Simon van der Stel. In 1790, Schoongezicht was transferred from her estate to Coenraad Johannes Albertyn, and from him to Carolus Lynis in 1808. Records show that the farm was immediately transferred from Lynis to Coenraad Johannes Fick, who in 1811, erected a number of outbuildings with gables ranging in style from holbol to simple neo-classical. The cellar he built has been dated to 1815 and the U-shape homestead, still standing with its neo-classical main gable, to 1830. The homestead exhibits a unusually high level of sophistication for Cape Dutch architecture of the period.

Dornier

Dornier Wines is located on two estates, both with long traditions. The history of Keerweder goes back to 1694, when it was acquired by Jac van Dyk. The Homestead farm includes a historic Sir Herbert Baker homestead and one of the oldest wine cellars in the area.

Webersburg

Webersburg wines show great finesse and character and possess good aging potential. These classic wines are stylishly elegant, infused with the essence of the Stellenbosch winelands. The Cape Dutch cellar, built in 1796, resonates with age-old wine making secrets.

Rust en Vrede

Rust en Vrede was established in 1694 by the then Governor of the Cape, Willem Adrian van der Stel. It was originally made up of a larger property but in the early 1700’s was divided into two whereby the original section remained as Rust en Vrede. The first house on the estate was built in 1780 followed by the cellar in 1785. In 1790 the larger manor house was built.

Ken Forester

Scholtzenhof, one of the very oldest wine farms in the Cape, was originally granted as Zandberg in 1689. Just ten years after Stellenbosch was founded, the original land, 64 morgen, was given by Governer Simon van der Stel to Frederick Boot, of Gotha (near Wagenheim in Germany), who later changed his name to Botha. In 1993 the Forrester family came to the rescue, restoring the 17th century homestead, replanting the vines and developing wines of quality.

Lourensford

The property Lourensford, is adjacent to, and was once part of Vergelegen. In October 1709, after Willem Adriaan van der Stel's deportation, the farm Vergelegen was divided into 4 farms. Cloetenberg, Morgenster, Erinvale (Welgelegen) and Lourensford (Vellerbreiding-Molen). Jacobus van der Heijden took transfer of this portion in 1711 AD and on his death was divided into three portions, namely Welgelegen (Erinvale), Vrede en Hoop and Lourensford.

Morgenster

A large, well-furnished house in the traditional H-shape, extensive outbuildings and a well-stocked wine cellar were Daniel's legacy to his son Jacobus in 1711. Morgenster acquired the six perfectly proportioned gables, praised in every history of Cape Dutch architecture. The front holbol gable, with its delicate scrollwork and scallop shell apex framing the morning star, is considered one of the finest existing examples of the baroque style in the Cape. Giulio Bertrand, who bought the farm in 1992, immediately set about restoring Morgenster under the guidance of architect Revel Fox.

Vergelegen

Since 1685 and to this day, the Estate has been crafted by some of the world's great explorers and visionaries, who each in their own way have helped shape Vergelegen to what it is today: a world-class Estate.